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Monday, October 8, 2012

This is my practice for an online cooking class I took at Rouxbe for making thick, starch based soups. They had many recipes to use for practice, such as split pea & ham, vichyssoise, and Italian white bean soup. But I thought I would learn more by using what I had just learned to create my own starch based soup.

Starch based soups are just what the name implies: Instead of using a roux as a thickener, the soup gets its body from the natural starches in starchy vegetables, legumes, and grains. The lesson mentioned you can use bread, which reminded me of one of my favorite soups, Mexican Garlic Soup.

While I was taking this lesson, I was in the middle of smoking a rack of beef ribs and I had tossed a few extra chicken wings on the Big Green Egg.

I thought about the wings and BAM! It hit me. I was going to make a hot wing soup! I used the techniques taught to plan out my soup.

Fat - Had to be butter, since that goes into hot wing sauce, right?Mirepoix - Celery & carrot. Celery because it is a standard accompaniment and carrot to help get the orange color I wanted.Starch - I thought about using potatoes but went with buttery croutons instead.Liquid - Chicken broth, beer and hot sauce - a no brainer

Add 3 Tbsp butter. Once bubbling hot, add the bread cubes and quickly toss to coat evenly. Season with a pinch or two of salt. Cook until golden brown on all sides - about 5-7 minutes. Remove.

Reduce heat to medium, add 4 tbsp butter to the now empty pot. Saute the celery and carrot until tender - about 8 minutes. Season with a pinch or two of salt while sauteing.

Add the chicken broth, beer, paprika, blue cheese, and the croutons that you made earlier. Bring to a simmer and cook until the bread begins to break apart - about 5-6 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to blend to a smooth consistency.

Bring back to a simmer and stir in the last tablespoon of cold butter. I know that technique at the end of sauces adds a little luster so I thought it couldn't hurt with soup. Taste for seasoning. I added about 1/2 teaspoon more of salt at this point but let your taste buds be the judge.

Beer - I used Sweetwater Brewing Georgia Brown but any good dark beer will do. You could also skip beer altogether and use more chicken broth but beer and wings go together, right?

Hot sauce - The family thought it was a little spicy at this level so if you want mild, just use one Tbsp. Franks Hot Sauce would be the traditional hot sauce to use but I used Fire Ant Juice.

Celery leaves - Weird? I like chopping them finely for a garnish. Use parsley instead if you like.

Makes 4 servings

These were meant to be a snack but they served a greater purpose! Smoked with Draper's AP Rub.

Chopping celery brings the "how to cut with a chef's knife" lesson memories back. I sliced an entire bunch of celery one stalk at a time for that lesson.

Great tasting "homework"!

This is definitely going into rotation at our house this winter. Perfect for those cold, damp nights whether you're watching a football game or just curled up reading a book. Its warmth and spiciness will heat you up from inside.

As of today I am 50% way through the current curriculum. Of course, they add new classes so that's a moving target:)

[Standard Disclaimer] I don't receive compensation from Rouxbe Online Cooking School. I am signed up for their affiliate program but that was just so I would have access to share some of their videos here. I don't even use the html links that would generate a sale for my account if you were to sign up. The link I gave at the top is no different than if you googled it yourself.

Very creative Chris. I've read somewhere that celery leaves bring more flavor to a dish than the celery itself. You're right- this is perfect for these cold damp nights that seem to be with us this week.Sam

When you get your own cooking show, can I please be your sous chef/dishwasher/taster? I'll work cheap! Rouxbe...never heard of it - but I clicked on the link and it sounds interesting! How do you like it? Is it worth the money? Do you take/pay for one class at a time or did you join the whole enchilada? Enquiring Minds want to know!

I agree with Kim - you are genius. Hot wing soup sounds awesome! The combination of flavors is completely natural, and I can't believe that I didn't think of this first. Just a tad bit jealous. BTW - Drapers AP rub is excellent.